Wrist band or strap for watches



Al# 6, 1948. S r.v sPEcToR WRIST BAND OR STRAP FOR WATCHES 2Sheets-Sheet l Fl'ed Sept. 13, 1947 lNvENToR fggaore Specor A1"ToRNEYLIIIII lllilllll f u. Q,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR 7.77eoaore 5 e April 6, 1948. 1'. sPEcToRWRIST BAND 0R STRAP FOR WATCHES Filed Sept. 13, 1947 Patented Apr. 6,A1948 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE WRIST. BAND OR. STRAPv FOR WATCHESTheodore Spector, New York, N. Y.

Application September 13, 1947, Serial No. '173,857

This inventionrelates` to wrist .bands or, straps for Watches. Y

In the ordinary Wrist band, a pair of separate strap portions areconnecte-d to the end bars or pins of the Wrist Watch. All such separatestrap portions pulling on` the bars of the Wrist Watch often tear, duetosuch pull.

It is,f therefore, an object of the present inn vent'ion to obviatesuch. difficulty as was expressed With former wristwatch bands.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wrist watch bandwhich completely encircles the wrist and on which isV mounted.l a pairof strips which pass through the end. bars of the wrist watch, meansbeingprovided to releasably engage the ends of such strips whereby toreduce the strain or pull on the strips` which engage the loops of thewrist Watch thereby prolonging the life of the wrist watch band orstrap.

Another object of this invention is to provide a` strap of the characterdescribed formed with a pair of spaced slits, and through openings atthe outer sides of. said slits, rivets extending through said holes andIiexible folded back strips, each having a portion passing through oneof the slits and formed With` an opening .through which the rivetpasses` and having a portion overlying the ,strap and likewise termedwith. an opening through which the rivet passes, said .strips thus beinglooped and anchored tothe rivets and adapted` to pass through floops onthe Wrist Watch disposed between the looped strips.

Still another object of this inventionis to provide a Wrist Watch bandcomprising a` pair of strips, wherein end portions of said strips areadapted to be looped about the bars .or pins of `a wrist Watch, meansbeing provided to releasably engage the ends of said end portions, theother end portions of `said strips comprising a perforated tongue andcoacting buckle- Still a further object .of this invention is to providea strong, rugged `and durable wrist Watch strap which shall have longlife, which shall be relatively inexpensive to,- manufacture, whichsha1! be oomfortnble to wear, attractive in ann pearance, easy tomanipulate and attractive and eicient to a high degree` in use.

Other `objects -of this invention Will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

'I'he invention, accordingly, consists in the features `o fconstruction, combinations of e1e ments, and arrangement of parts whichwill be .exempliiied in the .Construction hereinafter described, and ofwhich the scope of application will be indicated. in the yfollowingclaims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown various possibleillustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig, l is a top plan view of a Wrist watch strap embodying theinvention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2--52 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial view similar to Fig. 2. but showing the Wrist Watchattached to the Wrist Watch strap;

\ Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the structureshown in Fig, 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial view similar to Fig. 1y and illustrating a modifiedconstruction;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional View taken on `line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of a Wrist Watch strap and watch attachedthereto embodying the invention and illustrating `a modication thereof;

Fig.A 8 is an elevational view of the strap mem.- bers shown in Fig. 7with the end portions there of in their detached position;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the end portions of one of the members ofthe strap shown in Fig. 8,. with the Lend ofthe member in attachedposition; and s Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to that shown inFig. 9, and showing a modification thereof.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, In designates a Wrist watchstrap or band embodying the invention. The band I0 comprises a top strapportion Il, which may have a central enlarged portion l2, a tongue |`3at one end and` a .i neck portion I4 at the other end. 'The tongue t3may be provided with the usual holes 13a for adjusting the strap to theWrist of the wearer. Exten-ding from theneck I4 is a turned back portionl5 contacting the underside of portion I4 and` forming .a sleeve toreceive a bar It forming part of ,a buckle l1. The bucklev Il mayinclude a LJ-shaped metal bar l8,.th.e ends of Which engage the ends ofthe bar I6. The sleeve .I5 is formedwith a central slot .I9 andreceivedon the bar l5 at the slot is the usual prong 2U. adapted to be receivedin one of the openings 13a,

portion i2 of member Il is formed with pair of transverse slits 22equally spaced A:from the middle of said strap portions. Said strapportion is furthermore formed at the outer side of each slit 22 with ahole 23 for the purpose hereinafter appcaring. The holes 23 are somewhatspaced from the slits 22. The holes 23` are `more remote from .eachother than the slits 22,', but ea-ch hole 23 is adjacent one slit.V

Attached to the underside of the top member Il is a bottom strap member25 which is substantially superimposed thereunder and of the same shapeand size. Members II and 25 are stitched together by a line of stitching26 extending close to the edges of said strap portions, but terminatingshort of the neck I4. At the neck I4 is a transverse line of stitching21 located at the adjacent ends of the line of stitching 2B. The neck I4is also formed with a transverse line of stitching 28, parallel to andspaced from the line of stitching 21. It is also formed with a doubleline of stitching 29, spaced from and parallel to the line of stitching28 and disposed closely adj acent to the sleeve I5.

It will be noted that member 25 terminates just beyond the line ofstitching 29 and underlies the bent back portion of strap II whichcontacts the underside of neck III.

Loops 3B may be provided between lines of stitching 21, 23 and 29, toreceive the tongue portion of the strap.

The loops Sli may pass between the strap portions I I and 25 as shown inFig. 2 of the drawing. The portion 25 may, likewise, be formed withopenings 3i registering with openings' 23 and with slits 32 registeringwith the slits 22. The openings 3l and slits 32 have no function butwhile the holes 23 and slits 22 are punched, the bottom strap portion islikewise punched, such punching may be done after the strap portions IIand 25 have been sewed together.

Extending through each opening 23 is a rivet or stud 35. Each stud 35-comprises a female member 35 and a male member 31. The head of thefemale member 36 is disposed between the strap portions I I and 25 andits shank passes upwardly through the opening 23. The head of the malemember 31 is above strap portion II and its shank is riveted within theshank of the female member 36. Connected to each stud 35 is a flexiblestrip or tab Gil. Each strip 4!) has a portion 4I' which is passedthrough a slit 22 and is formed with an opening 42 through which theshank of the female stud member 36 passes. Obviously, in attaching eachstrip 40 to the stud 35, the shank of the female stud member is rstpassed through opening 42 in the portion 4I and said portion 4I ispassed through the slit 22 and the stud member 3&5 is also passedthrough the slit beneath strap portion I2 and its shank 35 is passedupwardly through opening 23. Thereafter, the shank of the male studmember 31 is passed through opening 23 and is fitted onto the femalemember 35. The two stud portions are then riveted together. The end 4dof strip 4i] opposite to the end il is formed with an opening l5 fromwhich extends a longitudinal slit 46.

In Figs. 3 and 4 there is shown a watch 59 attached to the strap I. TheWatch 50 is formed with bars or pins I at its ends. The ends 44 of thestrips it are passed around the bars 5I and the heads of the male studportion 31 are passed through the openings i5 so that said straps engagethe shanks of the studs thereby anchoring the watch 5G to the strap I.

In Figs. 5 and 6 there is shown a strap Illa embodying the invention andillustrating a modified construction. In strap Illa there is provided atop strap member IIa substantially similar to the strap member II. Thestrap member 25, however, is replaced by a lining member 25a whichterminates on opposites sides of the central portion of the strap memberIIa.

The lining 25a is stitched to the strap member I la by a line ofstitching 28a. Member IIa is likewise formed with transverse slits 22a,and with through openings 23a through which the studs 35a pass. Thestrap member Ila is provided with strips or tabs 40, similar to thestrips 40 of Figs. 1 to 4. and similarly attached to a watch 50.

It will now be understood that the improved watch strap enclosed hereinmay be simply put on and may fit any sized watch and protects the watchfrom corrosion and from being lost. It is decorative, comfortable towear and protects the watch from acidity. It is not necessary,furthermore, to remove the spring pressed end bars of the wrist watch inorder to attach the Watch to the strap made in accordance with thepresent invention. Also, in the case of bars fixed to the watch, thestrap may be readily applied.

The strips or iiaps 4I) are easily buttoned to the studs for fasteningthe strap to the watch.

It can now be readily understood that VI have produced a very simpleorganization including a main strap having spaced transversely arrangedslits 22 defining four portions, one portion flanking each side of eachslit 22. One end of each strip di] is inserted through its slit 22 andis anchored or secured therein by the stud 31. The other end of eachstrip lisis free and is folded to form a loop and its free end isdetachably secured in place by the stud 31. lIhe ends of the strip 4l)engage and embrace one slitted portion which is located between saidends.

It is also to be noted that the free ends 44 of the strips are'free fromrecesses, inserts or projections of any kind and, thereby facilitate theinsertion of each free end @il between the watch Et and its bars 5I.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9 there is shown a strap Ib embodying the inventionand illustrating a modified construction. Strap Iiib comprises strapmembers 6I! and 5I. Strap member 55 comprises -a tongue member formedwith holes I3a which may be engaged by the prong 2B of buckle I1 onstrap member 6I. The strap member 6I) further comprises an upper strip62 and lower strip 63, the strips being secured together by parallellines of stitching 611 interconnected at the tongue end of the strap.The stitching 8deXtends to the opposite end of strips S2, 53. One end63a of strip 63 projects beyond the end of strip 62 and is formed withan opening li5 and slot 46 similar to that shown in Fig. l. The strip 62is formed with an opening 23 spaced from the end of the strip. A rivet35, such as previously described, is inserted in the opening 23, asshown in Fig. 9. The end portion 63a may be looped around the bar 5I ofwatch 5o and detachably secured to the rivet 35, in the mannerpreviously described. The lower strip 63 is formed with an opening 3| asan incident to the punching operation which forms opening 23 in stripS2. It will be apparent that the rivet 35 may be readily inserted bypassing the shank of the female portion thereof between. the unsecuredends of strips @2, 63 disposed between the lines of stitching 65s, andup through the opening 23 in strip 52. The strap member 6I is similarlyprovided with an end portion 63a which may be looped about the otherbar5I of Watch 5t and detachably attached to a rivet 35 mounted on the end`portion member 6I opposite to the end portion on which is mounted thebuckle I1 in the manner previously described.

In Fig. l0 is shown the end portion of a strap member Gila similar tothat shown in Fig. 9 and illustrating a modified construction thereof.The

same comprises a ypair of strip members S5, 66, having coterminous ends.The strip 65 is formed with an opening 23. A tab or strip 61 is insertedbetween the ends of strips 65, 66 and is secured by stitching 68. Thetab 61 is formed at its inserted end with an opening 69 registering withopening 23. The projecting portion of the tab is formed with an opening45 and slot 46, as previously described. A rivet 35 is mounted betweenthe strips 65, 65, with its shank passing through opening 69 in tab 61and opening 23 in strip 65. The projecting portion 10 is adapted to belooped about bar 5| of a watch 50 and4 detachably attached to the rivet35, in the manner previously described. It is understood that a coactingbuckle strap member is similarly provided with bar engaging endportions, as described above. The tab 61 may be further secured to thestrips 65, 65 by passing the stitching 68 through both of the strips 65,66, after the rivet 35 has been properly inserted.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseve-ral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A wrist watch strap comprising an elongated strap member having abuckle at one end, and a tongue formed with apertures in its oppositeend, said strap member being formed between the buckle and tongue with apair of parallel spaced transverse slits defining slitted portions andwith a pair of holes more remote from each other than said slits, eachof said holes being adjacent a slit, studs having shanks passing throughsaid holes, each stud having a head at each of its opposite ends, acombination with a pair of strips having openings in their oppositeends, each strip passing through one slit and having one of its endsanchored to one of said studs, each strip being folded upon itself todefine a loop and having its opposite end removably engaging said stud,said strip ends engaging opposite sides of a slitted portion of saidstrap, in further combination with a second strap stitched to said firstnamed strap and over-lying the stud heads adjacent the wearers wrist.

2. A strap adapted to lbe worn about the wrist of a person, said strapcomprising a flexible member having a pair of spaced substantiallyparallel transversely arranged slits, said member having holes thereinmore remote from each other than said slits, each hole being adjacentone slit, a

stud passing through each hole, in combination with a pair of flexiblestrips having one end of each strip passing through one of said slitsand anchored on one of said studs, the opposite free ends of said stripsbeing provided respectively with an opening, each strilp being foldedupon itself to define a loop with said free ends removably engagedrespectively over one of said studs, each pair of strip ends embracingone slitted portion.

3. In combination a wrist watch strap cornprising a flexible strapmember formed with a pair of spaced, transversely arranged slits and apair of holes more remote from each other than said slits, each holebeing adjacent one of said slits, studs passing through said holes andformed with heads on opposite ends thereof, in combination 'with aflexible strip passing through each slit and having one end thereofpermanentiy anchored to one of said studs, the opposite free lends ofsaid strips being provided respectively with an opening, a wrist watchinterposed Ibetween said slits and having its bars engaged by saidstrips, each strip being folded upon itself to idene a loop embracingone of said bars, said ends of each strip embracing one slitted portionand having each free end removably engaged over one of said stud heads.

4. A wrist watch strap comprising a pair of superposed strap membersstitched together, the top strap member being formed with a pair ofspaced, transversely arranged slits and a pair of holes more remote fromeach other than said slits, each hole being adjacent one of said slits,studs passing through said holes, each stud counprisiing an intermediateshank portion engaging one of said holes and heads on the opposite endsof said studs, the lower head being disposed between said strap members,a flexible strip passing through each slit and having one end thereofanchored on one of said studs and its opposite free end fbeing providedwith an opening :adapted to button on the top of said stud, `each stripbeing folded on itself to define a loop, the ends of each stripemlbracing a singleA slitted portion of said top strap.

THEODORE SPECTOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,180,275 Boler Nov. 14, 19392,186,089 Baker Jan. 9, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 379,023Great Britain Arug. 25, 1932

